As most people probably know, Valentine's Day is coming up. Now I know to some people, Valentine's Day is a hard day that just pushes in your face everyone who has a significant other. But I think it's more than that. I've always looked at Valentine's Day as a day where I hoped that someone would give me a balloon and ask to be my valentine but as I've grown up, it is way more than that. Instead of focusing on what you don't have which might be a boyfriend/girlfriend or a significant other, we can focus on what we DO have. First and foremost, we have a loving Father who gives His love to us. He loved us before anyone else had. He created each and every one of us for a purpose and He loves us all. What we also have is friends and family. I understand that not every single person has friends or family that is close or maybe at all, but if this is the case, you still have an amazing friend in Christ and He is all you need. But for those that do have family and friends, John 13:34 says, "Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." Valentine's Day is all about love but love doesn't have to be and isn't subjective to a romantic relationship. Jesus says it in John that we are called to love others, just like He loved us. We can celebrate the amazing people in our lives just because we love them. So I challenge you to celebrate the people in your life that you love. Go hang out with them or get them a little something. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just show them that you love them and care about them. Family and friendships need love to thrive. Ephesians 4:2 states, "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,.." Loving others is mentioned so much in the Bible and it's because it's so important to love others. Now for anyone that is in a relationship, I still challenge you to show others you care for them but don't forget about that special someone. Still show them you love and care for them a lot.
While on the topic of love, I think it's important to talk more about God's love. 1st John 4:16 says, "God is love." God is love and that's why we can love. I heard this saying once from a worship night and it was, "When you go to God, He can't help but be all you need because that is His nature." When you go to God because you don't feel loved, He can't help but be Love because that is who He is. I am about to go all nerdy on you so bear with me. The greek word "agapē" means love. When you read the translation in Greek of 1st Corinthians 13:4, the word replaced with love is agapē. But agapē is different than just love. On multiple different dictionary sites, agapē means summed up is the highest form of love and is unconditional. It is also the Fatherly love of God towards us and then reciprocated from us to God. C.S. Lewis makes a good point in his book " The Four Loves". He says that to love at all is being vulnerable. It is hard to be vulnerable before God or before anyone. We want everyone to think that we are strong and we got this all by ourselves but the reality is that we don't have it all figured out. But when we open up to God, we find agapē, the love that doesn't end and is the highest form of love. If you don't know 1st Corinthians 13:4, it says ," Love is patient and kind." It also keeps going and explaining what love is but for what I'm writing today, I will stop here. So since God is love, He is all these things. We know that the "love" in this verse also means agapē but what if it we replace it with something else. Since God is love, we can replace "love" with God. God is patient and kind. This verse has so much packed into it but it is also so simple. God's love for us is unconditional and the highest love! You won't find satisfaction in love on earth if you don't find satisfaction in God's love first. So as this Valentine's Day rolls around, don't forget to love God and love others.
JATS